


If It Wasn't Already Obvious

by suckitdomitian



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Future Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-25
Updated: 2014-12-25
Packaged: 2018-03-03 09:30:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2846213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suckitdomitian/pseuds/suckitdomitian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Two years have passed, and a lot of things have changed. But there's one thing that likely never will.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	If It Wasn't Already Obvious

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Isazu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Isazu/gifts).



Two years had moved by them in the blink of an eye, but for Skye, the time had seemed to drag on for an eternity as well. San Juan felt like a lifetime ago. The blossoming of her abilities, Trip’s seeming death, followed, thankfully, by his rather irritated reconstitution in the middle of the recreation room and declaration that everyone needed to stop being so damn self-involved that they didn't notice that he’d been trying to make it clear he was still around for _months_ , Agent 33 – Kara’s – return to herself and penitent return to SHIELD, their near constant clashes with Raina and her quickly growing collection of Inhumans – as they had taken to calling themselves – that first year had barely left her room to breathe or even really think about her new position in the world. It wasn't until the summer had rounded out with her being lured and captured by HYDRA and then rescued by the presumed dead Grant Ward that things turned from exhausting to awkward.

And they had remained so since then.

Coulson had been horrified, enraged, when Ward had returned with her from the HYDRA base, bruised, bloodied, dehydrated, and suffering intense repercussions from HYDRA’s attempt to brainwash her like they had Donnie. Assumptions had been made, and Coulson had grabbed Ward and had him pinned on the floor before Skye had been able to comprehend what was happening. If Kara hadn't inserted herself into the situation, dragged Coulson off of Ward while Skye had managed to sort out her thoughts in order to explain what had happened, and then backed up what Skye had said by finally telling them _exactly_ how she’d managed to extract herself from HYDRA, Skye was sure that they would have ended up scraping Ward off the floor instead of reluctantly allowing him to stay.

He’d insisted, at first, he had no plans on staying more than a few days, just long enough for the wounds he’d garnered from HYDRA and Coulson to heal up. Then, he would be on his way. But a few days had faded into a week, and after a few whispered conversations between Ward and Fitz and Ward and Jemma, a week had faded into two. Then three. A month had leaked into two, and with a few more conversations, – one with Trip, one with Bobbi, and one with the Koenigs – two months turned into four. With the advent of the New Year, Ward had grown more comfortable at the Playground than anyone expected he would have. With one rather clear exception from where Skye was standing.

Since he’d brought her back, he’d been avoiding her.

It hadn’t been noticeable at first. He’d been avoiding everyone then. But as his relationships with the others at the Playground had improved, she’d become increasingly frustrated at his behavior. Friendly conversations with Fitz, Mack, and Hunter were cut off the second that she walked into the room. He would avoid group activities as long as she was there. He’d even turn heel and head in the opposite direction if she happened to be heading down a corridor at the same time as him. The only other person he put as much effort into avoiding, Skye had noted, was May, and even then, if he was somewhere first, they just stubbornly avoided each other’s gaze until one of them concluded their business and beat a hasty retreat from the room.

The difference between her and May, though, was that May was _relieved_ he was willing to avoid her. Relief was something Skye should have felt, but after everything, she could only bring herself to be hurt and confused. He had spent so much time pursuing her and persuading her, so much time trying to win her favor, but now that he was actually in a position to do so in earnest, it seemed as though he’d given up.

Skye had made a quiet attempts to convince herself, when her confusion had shifted from annoyance to a determination to find out why he was going to such lengths to avoid her, that she wasn’t pursuing anything more than answers. But sometimes, the person it’s easiest to lie to is yourself.

* * *

The last two years had been…interesting, to say the least. Ward still couldn't pinpoint the exact moment that he’d ended up here, back at the Playground but this time walking free rather than locked up in the basement. Oh, he knew when he’d arrived. He remembered that day clearly since he’d spent the days prior gathering intel, dismantling a HYDRA cell, and transporting an emotionally and mentally raw Skye from the containment facility they’d been holding her in back to the new SHIELD headquarters.

He also knew that Skye didn't remember anything that she’d said to him during the trip, the muddled confessions about what she’d done, the monster she’d become, saying that maybe it would have been better if he’d left her there, that it would have been easier if when confront with her, the others had no option but to put her down like they had with Donnie. It had taken him most of the drive for him to understand that her lament wasn't for her situation with HYDRA. When he’d gotten to her, they’d only just managed to weaken her mind to the point that implanting a trigger could have been possible. Her lament was for the things that she’d done since the fall of SHIELD, since the situation had come so desperate that sometimes the tough calls had been necessary.

Ward had tried to tell her that it was all right, that she’d only been following orders, doing what she’d needed to in order to keep her people safe, but she’d brushed that all aside, saying that there had to have been other options, other things they could have done, things that wouldn't have gotten so many people killed.

The thing that had haunted him more than anything else was the way she’d looked at him, broken, desperate, and apologetic, when she’d said she understood now.

He’d been holding out for that, hoping for it for so long, but the way she’d said it, had just left him cold.

So he’d avoided her. Her mental gaps had been easy enough to discern in her interactions with everyone else immediately after they’d gotten back to the Playground, and he hadn’t wanted to pick at an open wound. So he’d danced around her, like he’d danced around everyone at the start, but as conversations had ebbed into understanding and old wounds had slowly started to heal, he had avoided everyone else less and her that much more.

She’d noticed. And he’d noticed she’d noticed. She had even started to try and counteract his avoidance. He’d managed, for a while, to keep one step ahead of her, to utilize the various passageways of the Playground to his advantage. But she’d been here longer, knew the place better than he did, and every system develops cracks after a time.

And he was sure that was how he’d ended up back against the wall of a stairwell landing with neither the ability to go up or down as Skye stood in front of him, hand on his chest to keep him in place.

“You've got some explaining to do and don’t play dumb,” Skye said.

“Play dumb?” Ward asked, hoping to buy some time to figure out an escape but ended up wincing as Skye’s features darkened, fingers tightening in the fabric of his shirt.

“Asking what I mean by playing dumb is playing dumb, Ward,” Skye said, her tone thankfully more exasperated than angry. “What did I do that has you pretending like I don’t exist?”

“What did you do?” Ward repeated, not playing dumb this time but honestly confused. “You didn’t do anything. Why would you think you’d done something?”

“What other reason would you be treating me like I don’t exist while getting buddy-buddy with everyone else? Dammit, Ward. You and Coulson are even managing to talk again. What am I supposed to think?”

“I thought this would be what you wanted,” the words were simple and honest. Their trip back had just complicated things, making him feel guilty about putting her in a position where she’d feel guilty about what she’d had to do, but everything up until this point had made him feel like once she was back to herself, she’d want nothing to do with him. It was the same reason he hadn't even made the attempt to talk things out with May yet. Their relationship was too sordid, too complicated, and it would likely never run clean like he’d managed with some of the others. “You made it pretty clear you wanted nothing to do with me, Skye. I've still got the scars.”

A brief glance to his side and Skye was frowning, shifting slowly and tugging up the hem of his shirt to study the neat little divots of scar tissue, one for each bullet that connected. “I was just trying to make sure you didn't follow me,” Skye said, the words quiet, contemplative, as her fingers brushed over the wounds. “Part of me wanted to… I won’t lie. In that moment, a part of me wanted to finish the job. But I couldn't…” She paused, frowning to herself. “You were… _so goddamn delusional_. You didn't recognize the danger you’d put us in, didn't seem to care, and it would have been so much easier if it had just been left at that, but no. You had to _mean well_ with all your… psychopathy.”

“Yeah. That’s me. Well-meaning psychopath,” Ward said, unable to smile as Skye’s face screwed up in irritation as she smacked his shoulder.

“Sarcastic asshole is probably more fitting,” Skye huffed, tugging Ward’s shirt back down before looking up at him, a quiet sadness shifting into her features. “I've missed you. The real you.”

“Skye,” Ward’s protest was quiet, but cut off almost immediately by Skye’s fingers pressing against his lips.

“I know. But May’s been teaching me about undercover,” Skye said. “And it’s never all a lie, is it?”

Ward offered her a sad smile, reaching up to gently take her hand in his, pressing a light kiss to it, “It’s always more complicated than that.”

* * *

Skye didn't clearly recall the trek back to her room. Talking had led to apologies and apologies had led to confessions and confessions had led to both of them being desperate to not have to talk any longer. The stairwell had been dark enough, secluded enough, that neither one of them had thought anything at all about being caught until Fitz had let out a low whistle from the bottom of it and laughed about having to go and collect some winnings that were owed him.

After that, ending up in one of their rooms had seemed the best option.

The electricity had already built between them, desperation and unresolved feelings driving the shedding of each layer of clothing, the hands that ghosted across bare skin, that examined the dips and curves and angles of each other’s  bodies in a frantic exploration of long denied territory. Bare skin brushed bare skin and as they edged into truly intimate contact, the frantic edge gave way to focus, intent, a desire to make the reality live up to whatever fantasy the other had constructed.

Slow, sweet touches, lips making up for the attentions that only two hands couldn't manage, they became immersed in each other, minutes ticking into hours as they indulged and came out the other side spent, clinging to each other as if the second either of them let go, the other would vanish into nothingness.

“I love you,” Ward murmured into Skye’s hair, smiling sheepishly as her gaze turned, looking up at him from where she was resting against his chest. “As if it wasn't already obvious. I didn't know how to do it properly before, but I think… I think I might understand where I went wrong.”

“We both have regrets, Ward,” Skye said, shifting and snuggling back down against his chest. “And we’ll both figure out how to do this right as we go. That’s how love works, right?”

“Yeah. That’s how love works,” Ward said, running a hand gently through Skye’s hair as she sighed.

“And I love you, too,” She murmured, half asleep as she did. “If it wasn't already obvious.”


End file.
